President of Kyrgyzstan visits ICRC

Geneva (ICRC) - The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr Askar Akayev, accompanied by a government delegation and the country's Permanent Representative in Geneva, today visited the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where he was received by ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga.

President Akayev paid tribute to the ICRC for its work in many crisis situations around the world. He reaffirmed his support for the organization's humanitarian activities and for the basic principles of international humanitarian law, asserting that spreading knowledge of those principles among new generations could contribute to national unity and respect for human dignity.

In his address the ICRC President expressed his appreciation of the Kyrgyz government's interest in humanitarian affairs. He welcomed the fact that Kyrgyzstan, as a State party to the Geneva Conventions, had demonstrated its readiness to make an active contribution to the promotion of international humanitarian law both among the country's armed forces and in schools and universities. Mr Sommaruga encouraged President Akayev to pursue the efforts made by his government to bring national legislation in line with the obligations arising under humanitarian law, adding that the ICRC's work depended largely on the good will and support of States. He also stressed the importance attached by the ICRC to cooperation with the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan with a view to helping it to develop its operational capacity.